It's still unclear if social media is a viable ad platform, but there's no doubt that bad press can move swiftly across social networks and the blogosphere. Forrester Research, in a post on its blog, has compiled a list of brands unaware that all it takes is one blog post and a Twitter account to spread the news about their gaffs. In other words, these brands were "punk'd."

Blogger Jeremiah Owyang defines "punk'd" as "a situation where the story would have not been told if social media was not available, or if social media enhanced the situation."

The dubious list features more than 20 incidents dating back to 2003. The blunders include Whole Foods CEO John Mackey trashing competitor Wild Oats on a Yahoo message board, and Burger King executive Stephen Grover using his daughter's email address to send false information to the media.